Page 41 of If You Stayed

At least for a solid five seconds, and somewhere within that five seconds, my fist slammed into the jerk’s face. When I came back to reality, my face was being smashed in by his rock-hardfist. I went flying back against the shelf and caught Ava out of the corner of my eye kicking both twins between their legs and shouting, “You stupid fuck faces!”

The staff came and broke up the fight, kicking us all out of the store. As Ava and I walked back to the truck, Ramona jumped out to see me with one eye shut, and Ava hopping up and down.

“Did you see, Gabriel? Did you see me kick their asses! They didn’t even touch me! They fell over to the ground like little wimps! I bet they never make fun of me again!”

“What in the world happened?” Ramona cried with the most perplexed look. “Geez, are you okay?”

“He’s super! You should’ve seen him take a swing at that guy! Sure, maybe the guy swungmoreandharder, but boy oh boy, did Gabriel get one hit in! Sure, he didn’t getmorethanonehit in, but—”

I swung the door open for Ava. “Get in the car, kid.”

“Okay, Boss Man,” she said, calling me the name that everyone else called me at work. If my head wasn’t pounding from my pounding, I would’ve found that real fucking cute.

Okay, even with the headache, I found thatreallyfucking cute.

After Ava climbed into the car, I shut the door for her. I then walked past Ramona and tossed her the truck keys. “It might be best that you drive. Seeing how I can’t see.”

The whole drive back to the office, I sat there grumbling to myself, thinking about how I’d have to tell Kierra about what happened when she picked up Ava later that day.

***

“Wait a second. Let me get this straight. You told her to kick them in the balls?” Kierra asked, alarmed, as I sat in my office with my head down in full-blown embarrassment. I had sunglasses on, too, hoping to avoid Kierra seeing the damage that Cory and James’s father got in.

“I might’ve told her that. But in my defense, I didn’t think we’d have an actual run-in with them and that she’d kick them in their damn balls.”

“If there’s one thing you should know about my daughter, it’s that she takes everything literally. If you tell her to fly to the moon by tomorrow, she’ll have the whole spaceship built tonight,” she joked. “Can I ask you something, though?”

“Sure.”

“Why are you wearing sunglasses and staring at the floor instead of looking at me?”

“Oh, it’s just part of my creative process,” I lied.

“Gabriel.”

I groaned. “Yes?”

“Did you get into a fight at Home Depot, too?”

“I might’ve fallen into an altercation.”

“Gabriel.”

“Yes?”

“Look up.”

I tilted my head up slowly.

She stood from her chair and walked over to me. She sat on the edge of my desk, facing me, and then removed mysunglasses. “Gabriel!” she gasped, her hand flying over her mouth.

“If you think this is bad, you should see the other guy,” I joked.

“You beat up two kids?” she spat out, stunned.

“What? No! Of course not! I’m not some kind of madman.” I flicked my thumb against my nose. “I beat up their father.”

“Gabriel!”

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